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FEMALE Exclusive: Netflix Original Korean Series ‘MANxMAN’

Make yourself comfortable cos we’ve got a new Korean show you can binge watch

Photo: Netflix

If you haven’t heard about this new Korean spy drama, then you’re definitely missing out. A Netflix original series, the first episode premiered back in April and is currently showing episode 9 (which comes out this Friday, 19th of May)!

Produced by Chang-min Lee and staring Park Hae-jin (from My Love From the Star) who plays a secret agent hired to go undercover as a bodyguard for an aging but very famous, ill-tempered actor, played by Park Sung Woong (from Remember: War of the Sun). So think bad-ass fight scenes, adorable bromance, comedic relief and not forgetting, romance (because what’s a K-Drama without the element of a love triangle?!)

Read on if you’d like to know more about the stars and the characters they play. Don’t be surprised if you end up being glued to your laptop the entire day after reading this!

1. Tell us a bit about your on-screen character in MANxMAN? Do you have a similar character in real life as to the one you’re playing?

Park Hae Jin:“Both Sul Woo (my character) and I are always trying to be perfect but actually we’re somewhat clumsy. The biggest difference is the fact that I’m more of a pacifist, far from a ghost agent.”

Park Sung Woong: “Yeo Woon Kwang (the popular actor I play in MANxMAN) is a kind and warm-hearted guy, but pretends to be mean and picky as he doesn’t want to reveal his inner side to others. I find lots of similarities between myself and that character in terms of being honest, straightforward, and liking to be surrounded by many people, but unlike him, I’ve never been arrogant or rude to the crew on set.”

Kim Min Jung: “My character, Doha is very passionate about what she does and very simple minded and naive about love. I’m very much like Doha in this sense. When I play this role, I find Doha very cute and lovable.”

2. How did you know this role was made for you?

Hae Jin:“There was no single reason for me to not take the job. The chemistry between the characters was very interesting and I thought I had lot of things that I can share with the audience through this role. And of course, I really enjoyed reading the script.”

Sung Woong:“I was curious about this character and I found it an interesting task to play the role of a Hallyu star. Woonkwang is a very compelling character with a self-centered yet warm hearted and compassionate personality. Being able to build up a bromance relationship with Sulwoo also looked very appealing to me.”

Min Jung:“Doha is a character who has infinite charm. To make this manager character look more attractive, I did my best to enjoy and stay relaxed while playing Doha. I actually was looking for a character that I could put down all my ego and approach organically. I’m very much satisfied but I also think that I could have done better. It’s been a great pleasure for me to be given a chance to play this character anyway.

Photo: NetflixActor Park Hae Jin plays a National Intelegence Service Officer, Kim Sul Woo, who becomes a ghost bodyguard for a top Hallyu star.

3. If you could play any other character in this show, who would you play? Also, which character would you find difficult to play?

Hae Jin: “I would say Moh Seung-Jae. Jung Hoon set the perfect tone for this character Moh Seung-Jae with a neat and sophisticated image. If I played Moh Seung-Jae, I would make him look a li’l more loosened. It was very much like an open book for the actors in terms of interpreting the characters. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to imagine this, as we had so much room to try many different things. All the characters in our show are interesting. The most challenging character for me to try would be Yeo Woon Kwang. It looks easy to but I can tell that he managed to do so because he completely abandoned himself. I must say he did a great job and I loved it.”

Min Jung: “What if Woon Kwang was a female character? It’d be very interesting. As an actress myself, it’s interesting to play the role of an actor with a bit of exaggeration.”

MANxMAN is Netflix’s first simulcast of a Korean drama and is subtitled in more than 20 languages for nearly 100 million Netflix subscribers around the world. Episodes are aired weekly.